Wilco: Album by Album

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Parachute Woman, May 11, 2020.

  1. slop101

    slop101 Guitar Geek

    Location:
    So. Cal.
    "I'll Fight" is probably my favorite song from this album.
     
  2. GlenCurtis

    GlenCurtis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pullman, Wa
    The first time I heard I’ll Fight I thought it was a bit too on the nose political statement about young men fighting wars started by old men, and it is perhaps in part that. But once I learned it was about a proxy civil war fighter it took on greater poignancy. It personalized it, and the protagonist’s chanting took on greater weight. Context is everything.

    The story that unfolds, both of the fighter and of the gentleman who lives a life privileged by free will but burdened by the trade that allowed another to die in his place is both nuanced and sad. Lots of meaning here on many levels.

    The melody is also catchy, and Jeff puts on a strong full throated performance. Not quite a Tweedy classic, but nearly. 4.5/5
     
  3. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I still take it as an on-the-nose political statement. Didn’t know anything about the Civil War until today’s discussion.

    (Addressing everyone: Where does this civil war idea come from? Something Tweedy said? From a specific lyric? Just curious.)
     
  4. jalexander

    jalexander Forum Resident

    Location:
    Canada
    Never paid attention to the lyrics on I’ll Fight before. Just simply enjoyed the bouncy melody. Now that I’ve heard it, wow! This is deep Americana worthy of The Band. A two-sided coin mourning America’s past and condemning its present at the same time. And yet, now that Wilco are unfettered from the constraints of being an “Americana” band, they can cast the music in whatever form they want. So instead of a three guitar attack (can’t you imagine the Drive-By Truckers singing these words?) or mandolins and fiddles, it’s a gurgling soul number with wonderful farfisa organ playing a wonderful counter-melody all the way through. Plus Nels throws in some country licks along the way for an appropriate dash of Americana. Wonderful.
     
  5. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    A quote from Jeff in a 2015 Reddit AMA: "...based on the practice of purchasing proxies during the Civil War to get out of conscription."

    Just in case anyone doesn't know, an AMA is an Ask Me Anything Q and A session where any Reddit user can ask the host any question they wish. Lots of famous people have held AMAs.
     
  6. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "I'll Fight"- I never thought much of this song, but many of you are making a strong and convincing review in its favor. It's always been one of those middle of the road songs for me with no strong opinion for or against it. I'm not really hearing any Blonde on Blonde, but it has a slight feeling of the The Band. The lyrics and music have a sort of late 70s Dylan feel. Maybe it drifts into some Street Legal territory. I like all of your lyric interpretations that have been given so far. I'm not sure how this will hold for me after the thread is over, but I enjoyed this song more this morning than I ever have. You all successfully opened my eyes to this minor treasure. I would have thought it would be a 3 or a 3.5, but now I think it has moved up into a top five tune on The Album. I like this song more than I realized. 4/5
     
  7. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    I see. Thanks. (Still just afternoon applicable in the U.S. through the draft years, I think).
     
  8. robcar

    robcar Forum Resident

    Location:
    Denver, CO
    "I'll Fight" seems like a redo of "On And On And On" and I find it similarly (slightly) annoying. The song has an arrangement that would have fit in on Mermaid Avenue and, indeed, the lyrics scan as though Tweedy was attempting to emulate Woody Guthrie. I find the lyrics disturbing and rather unpleasant (far more so than, say, "Bull Black Nova") and I don't quite get what Tweedy is attempting to say here. I don't enjoy this melody at all and, frankly, nearly everything about this song is rather abrasive to me. I would probably rate this near the bottom of all of the Wilco songs we've covered thus far (sincere apologies to those who love this song).
     
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  9. Al Gator

    Al Gator You can call me Al

    I find I'll Fight to be a powerful track. The repetitive lyrics work very well in this case, and fit perfectly with the music. There's something about that acoustic guitar that runs throughout that's perfect for the song. Others have already discussed the lyric, and it definitely packs a punch, so to speak. It's an album highlight.
     
  10. rancher

    rancher Unmade Bed

    Location:
    Ohio
    So, a bit tangential here, but Jeff T is coming out with a book about songwriting shortly? Maybe all of you know this, but I just read about it this morning ...
     
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  11. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    @Parachute Woman gave a history of the song I was unaware of. But that history makes sense because it is sort of a Robbie Robertson by way of Woody Guthrie tune. But it's totally Wilco. And this song, unlike probably "You And I," earlier, is one that Farrar would have let him put on an Uncle Tupelo album. Not sure that last point needed to be made--we're so beyond that band at this point, and I'm kind of mentally beyond it for now. Tweedy man, he's good, ain't he?

    At about the middle of this one, I'm thinking Jeff could have been Wiseacre Wilbury.:D So glad that didn't happen because it messes with his indie-ism.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
  12. fspringer

    fspringer Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York City
    I enjoy the song, and this is part of the reason:

     
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  13. GlenCurtis

    GlenCurtis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pullman, Wa

    Scary oversized gloves she’s got there.
     
  14. Gabe Walters

    Gabe Walters Forum Resident

    "I'll Fight" is perfectly fine. As someone else mentioned, I like the way the verse (or is it the chorus?) descends into the chorus (or is it the verse)? The repetition in the lyrics never bothered me too much, and I never really heard it as the cousin to "On and On and On," either.

    I've seen Wilco do it only once, in 2010. This is one I wouldn't mind the band pulling out more often.

    I never knew the story behind the lyrics; I'd always just assumed it was about a personal relationship. I had no idea that conscripted Civil War soldiers could pay to be replaced. That sounds like a great way for rich kids to avoid war, I guess. If Jeff hadn't answered that question, I never would've known he had that in mind when writing these words. I suppose I never paid much attention to these words, or much of the lyrics on this record. This is another story song, and there's another coming tomorrow. Looking at them now, the structure, the form, of the lyrics, and therefore the song, is pretty interesting, beginning with what might be a couple choruses and then that long midsection before you get a couple more choruses. This is one I could spend more time with.
     
  15. Rainy Taxi

    Rainy Taxi The Art of Almost

    Location:
    Chicago
    Let me start by saying that I think "I'll Fight" is an excellent song. The lyrics are fantastic. It actually might be the best written song on the whole album. (I like the interpretation of a modern solider, not one from the Civil War.) The melody, though it borrows from "On and On and On," is strong. And I'm sucker for an acoustic guitar riff like the one that runs through this song. So why doesn't it work completely on the album? For me, it's a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. The arrangement is so cluttered, with so many obvious overdubs — especially on the verses — it feels like I am in a carnival. Way too much going on, and I don't think the little bits t serve the song. This is the first song where you could completely remove Nels, and have an improved track. Maybe Mikael too. I still like the song, and it's fantastic solo acoustic by Jeff — but I wish the studio version was more stripped back.
     
  16. HenryH

    HenryH Miserable Git

    "Country Disappeared"

    A pleasant tune, so easy to just sit back and get immersed in the simple melody and arrangement. Though it may not be the kind of track that sticks, it has a kind of nostalgic vibe about it, like it came from another, possibly classic rock period. I particularly like the subtle guitar work going on here.


    "Solitaire"

    Another laid back song, one that's always stood out for me. More tasty guitar playing going on here, and the vocals are really nice too. One of Jeff's introspective lyrics, and maybe one of the better ones on this album certainly. A very heartfelt performance.
     
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  17. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Sonny Feeling


    This is such a bizarre song. Musically, it is a pretty standard country-type rocker that recalls Being There a bit. Nothing offensive in the music (though pretty blah and paint by the numbers) and I kind of like the slidey guitar solo. But what is up with these lyrics? I have no idea what Jeff is trying to do here. He gives us a couple of hard to decipher vignettes about a kid riding on his bike, somebody flying on an airplane to Europe and (most strangely of all) a mini-mart clerk who doesn't know who Eminem is? :confused: It seems like the "sonny feeling is taken away" bit at the end is trying to say something about every life having some darkness in it...maybe? But why is it 'sonny' and not 'sunny'? And WHAT is this:

    Oh maybe it's random
    How each moment unfolds
    It didn't feel like the wrong time or place
    Until they cut off her clothes

    Is the mini-mart clerk getting raped? Seriously, that's what I read here. Apparently someone requested this song in 2016 (it hasn't been played since 2011) and Jeff said, "That's one song among a few in the whole catalogue that nobody in the band wants to play, myself included."

    I'm interested in what you guys make of this song. The first few times I heard it, I didn't think much of it but once I read the lyrics it has been one of my least favorite Wilco songs. A rare failure in my eyes.
     
  18. Zeki

    Zeki Forum Resident

    Sonny Feeling: I’m close to @Parachute Woman ’s feeling about this one. Paint-by-numbers, baffling lyrics, etc., though maybe not quite as much dislike. Indifferent.

    I took the ‘until they cut off her clothes’ to be accident related, something to do with the drag racing setting in the first verse...but Parachute Woman may be right. In which case I really don’t like the song.
     
  19. Fortuleo

    Fortuleo Used to be a Forum Resident

    The lyrics ? I have no clue. I think this one was supposed to just be a fun live song, the Walken of (the album), only with a little less piano and a little more slide guitar. It’s also meant to work as a kind of giant pop quiz, where the usual Wilco references are all over the place, the band jumping from Steely Dan to the Kinks, from the Beach Boys to the Beatles, Who, Stones, Band, Feat, Skynyrd, any of the Stills-Young collaborations, or even… Wilco. Problem : it never quite gels, it never takes off, it never becomes a proper song, it’s not even that entertaining to listen to. It’s geeky rock by the numbers, full of winks in lieu of ideas, the tongue in cheek approach not funny enough and lacking energy to bring the listener along.
    It should be indifferent and inoffensive, but it's not, because of the way it disrupts the flow of an otherwise wonderful second side. Maybe they thought they needed an up-tempo number to liven things up, but I’d much preferred if the autumnal feel of Side 2 had been maintained all the way through.
     
  20. Rainy Taxi

    Rainy Taxi The Art of Almost

    Location:
    Chicago
    On "Sonny Feeling," I think they make the same arrangement/overdub mistakes as "I'll Fight," except the song itself is far inferior, so it's a more egregious miss. The lyrics don't connect with me at all. It's the second song in a row that you could completely remove Nels from and have a better track. His fuzz and slide overdubs just feel so forced, especially the outro solo, which is just grating. The song would have been much prettier if they stripped it down a bit and let Pat carry the outro with the keyboards and harmony vocals. As is, it feels like a cluttered mess trying to make up for/hide the fact that the song underneath isn't spectacular. All that being said, I have to admit the song is actually kind of catchy, the melody anyway. The core of something interesting musically is there. I wonder if they'll ever bring it back live.

    Random thought: I doubt anyone else will hear this, but I've always made a connection between this song and "Portland" by the Replacements for some reason. They don't really sound alike, but the structure is similar — rhythmic guitar riff throughout, a build up to a melodic chorus that feels like a departure from the rest of the song: "It's too late to turn back here we go..." vs. "A sunny feeling is taken away." Anyone get that vibe? Anyone? I don't know, like I said, extremely random!
     
  21. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    Country Disappeared

    Short and in a SBS vein, as noted by previous comments. It may be a bit nondescript, but I think this song actually flows well if you listen to it after Bull Black Nova: as a quiet comedown after the previous song’s nervy rush.

    Solitaire

    Very mellow, but yet there’s a lot going on in this one. Very well done and arranged.

    I think I can see why some view the 2nd half of (The Album) as “weak” or “not as strong” as the first half, but yet I think it’s a matter of perception due to a combination of (a) the tracklisting not being as well done as previous albums and (b) the songs being quieter and mellow compared to the front half. If you put too many rockers in a row, they lose impact. If you put too many quiet slow ones in a row, they deaden each other out. Either way, things start to sound “samey”.
     
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  22. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    Something about this song’s “languid autumnal feeling” reminds me of a track or two from Meddle by Pink Floyd.
     
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  23. dirkster

    dirkster Senior Member

    Location:
    McKinney, TX, USA
    I’ll Fight

    Another very good track. I pretty much agree with @Fortuleo on this one:

    Harkens back to the days of yore, when the band worked with the likes of Billy Bragg. What was that, 10 years ago at the time? In “quarantine time” in this thread, a couple of moths now. :)
     
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  24. palisantrancho

    palisantrancho Forum Resident

    "Sonny Feeling"- I'm glad to see I am not that odd man out with my opinion of this song. Not only is the worst song on the album, but it is most likely my least favorite Wilco song in the entire discography. I don't like anything about it (aside from some of the fuzz guitar sound). On top of it being musically and melodically bland, it also features some of the worst lyrics Jeff has written. I think the entire band is embarrassed by this song according to Jeff's comments about it. It is sort of the "Walken" of the album like @Fortuleo mentioned, and that may be my second least favorite Wilco song. So it's no surprise how I feel about this one. Sorry Wilco, but this gets my lowest rating. 1/5

    Yesterday I listened to a great interview with Jeff on Marc Maron from 2018. It was right around the time of Warm and his autobiography. It's a 90 minute interview and well worth your time, if you are interested.

    Mixcloud
     
  25. GlenCurtis

    GlenCurtis Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pullman, Wa
    Maybe it is because of the blanket of smoke currently enveloping us here in Washington, but I’m finding it impossible to feel sunny about Sonny Feeling right now. I can’t think of a song I like less in the Wilco catalogue. 2/5
     

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